When competing for the GreenTech Innovation Award, how do you summarize your comprehensive innovation in just 400 characters (!)? Royal Brinkmann specialists recently spoke to us ahead of this week's introduction of digital data analytics platform Auxin. I faced this challenge. We discussed this innovation in more detail with Luuk Jumelet, Digital Manager at a leading horticulture supplier.
Four years ago, Luke joined Royal Brinkmann in Gravenzande, Netherlands. This was the time when the transition from analog to digital was in full swing. “Many producers have decided to move from storing disease and pest data in a notepad to registering their data in the MyScout data collection app.”
Based on that knowledge, we can now act preventively in the field of crop protection. However, there is one caveat. Past results do not guarantee future results. “That's why we wanted to be able to establish connections between individual data modules. But we found that without a connectivity platform, it would be difficult to establish those connections. And so Auxin was born.”
Establishing a connection
Auxin consists of two parts: an operating system (OS) and a data management platform (DMP). After going live, the focus was on making scouting data insightful. “We asked about 100 users of MyScout to test his Auxin platform, initially focusing on the Netherlands. Customer service and 'onboarding' took quite a bit of time, but the pilot… Initial feedback from customers is that the system is very simple and clear. “
The Auxin platform can be immediately connected to other systems such as the existing Advice Generator and the upcoming Trap Scanner. “The added value of auxin becomes apparent as soon as you start making connections,” says Luke as he opens a screen that allows him to digitally accurately draw a greenhouse. “Once that's done, you can overlay multiple layers of data. Think data from MyScout and the drone Scandr, the first three growers are already working on the pilot. The drone is controlled to perform reconnaissance. The data management system then shows all the diseases and pests in the greenhouse together and shows where they are located in the greenhouse.
Clever use of Hortivation Points speeds up Auxin connections
Smartly introduce gardening GPS
The image Luke presents is reminiscent of the term “precision crop protection” often used by policymakers. I'm heading there. “With Auxin, we are moving in that direction. It is in the near future. We are working towards integrated crop management (ICM), which is an upgrade from integrated pest management (IPM). ”
Another innovation is essential to enable data tiering in digitally rendered greenhouses: Hortivation Point
“I call it the GPS of horticulture. It has accelerated our connectivity. What's unique about us is that we encoded that regulation into the technology. Google Translate is provided. In this way there are many applications, including those from third parties.
Hortivation Point initially focused primarily on greenhouse construction, but Royal Brinkman is now expanding more broadly.
truly independent advice
The possibility of use by third parties is another factor that sets this platform apart. Beyond producers, digital platforms also target product experts and third parties. “Auxin uses a very large international database with knowledge about pesticide operations. We use data from the Dutch Plant Protection Products and Biocides Licensing Board (Ctgb); We are adding legally vetted advice based on data from comparable sources in each country. “For now, this is only possible in the Netherlands.
Combined with Royal Brinkman's 139 years of “green practical knowledge”, the digital manager emphasizes, the end result is truly independent growing advice. Thanks to our combined data and knowledge, products that we don't sell may appear to be the best option for growers. ”
strategic role
When it comes to software and platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) is unavoidable. Auxin is also equipped with AI. “We use all kinds of data to train our AI, and the result is powerful models. Some developments may seem uninteresting, but they are actually more important than future developments. It contains a tremendous amount of intelligence to build on.”
Another consideration is data security. Would producers want to share their data even if it was well protected and processed completely anonymously? “Today, producers increasingly recognize that data sharing is key to collaborative development. I understand.”
Auxin not only changes the lives of growers, but also the lives of crop protection professionals at Royal Brinkmann. “Our advisors are playing an increasingly strategic role in precision crop protection and greening processes. Advising growers on suitable chemicals is no longer their main job. Because it can be done through auxin.”
smart home
Anyone interested in learning more about this new information should contact their Royal Brinkman representative or the Auxin experts who help producers use the platform.
More news about the Auxin platform will be announced soon. Although the use of digital data analysis platforms is new, the reality is that many people are already familiar with it. Luuk depicts the Smart Home as a parallel consumer tool. “This tool also connects different systems. We intend to do the same in the horticulture field.”
For more information:
royal blinkman
info@royalbrinkman.nl
www.royalbrinkman.nl